A group of Russian Orthodox activists have filed a lawsuit against Washington aimed at taking back the state of Alaska from the US and returning it to Russia as the latter country’s sovereign territory.

The ultraconservative religious group Pchyolki (Bees) filed the complaint in a Moscow arbitration court, in response to US President Barack Obama’s support for homosexual rights and gay marriage, citing the need to protect fellow Christians from sins.

Obama’s plans to legalize the “so-called same-sex marriage” threaten the freedom of religion of Alaska’s Orthodox Christians, who “would never accept sin for normal behavior,” Pchyolki (“Bees”) said in a statement on their website.

“We see it as our duty to protect their right to freely practice their religion, which allows no tolerance to sin,” the group added.

Pchyolki cited technical violations in the provisions of the 1867 agreement under which Russia sold Alaska to the US government for USD 7.2 million, or 2 cents per acre.

The group argues that contrary to the provisions of the contract, the payment was made by check and not golden coin, and therefore seeks its nullification now.

The lawsuit was originally filed in January but it was not examined due to the absence of a number of mandatory documents required to corroborate the claims.

With an area of 1.718 million square kilometers, Alaska is the largest state of the US and is rich in natural resources, including oil and mines.